Evil dragon has a warm heart-Chapter 144 - 143 Bluebird Castle

Chapter 144: Chapter 143 Bluebird Castle

Chapter 144 -143 Bluebird Castle

The caravan entered the undulating boundary mountains, where ice caps and rocks fused and supported each other, creating complex ice cave structures.

Clearly, the Rainflower Family had expended considerable effort to carve out this cavern.

They had chiseled a path through the rock walls and ice caps wide enough to accommodate several wagons side by side, making it easier for merchant caravans to traverse the boundary mountains and enter the interior of the Tributary River Mouth territory.

Beyond the boundary mountains, the up-and-down landscape continued.

Compared to the rudimentary “two mountains with a basin” formation of Glowing Valley, the more expansive geography of the Tributary River Mouth was obviously much richer.

“This whole area is undeveloped mountainous terrain. Once you get past this mountainous area, you’ll enter the flat plains of the Estuary Plains,” Roland lamented, “Glowing Valley is short on manpower, and Tributary River Mouth is in the same boat!”

He then shook his head with a laugh, “Our warm enclaves, every single one of them is short on manpower, ultimately it’s because our foundations aren’t deep enough.”

“Over the years, the family hasn’t pulled in many people from the Volcanic Oasis, right?” Russell said.

“Not as many as you might think,” said Roland, leaning to one side, “The main issue is insufficient food production. If we bring in too many serfs and a bad harvest year hits, we could end up with a lot of them starving to death. Red Castle places a great deal of importance on the population; if too many serfs die on a territory, it’ll be troublesome.”

“I always thought that Red Castle wouldn’t care about such things.” Russell had always believed that the lord decided everything on their land, and no one else had the right to interfere.

“How could Red Castle possibly not care,” said Roland, leaning slightly, “The land is deeply connected to the Great Dragon; whether a piece of land can be developed or if enough magical creatures are born on it, all of these factors affect the growth of the Shadowflame Dragon.”

Russell asked curiously, “How so?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but during my time following Grand Duke Kunstan, I got a glimpse into some of the secrets of the Shadowflame Dragon… Great Dragons forge lands of warmth, humans cultivate these lands of warmth, and then in turn, these lands of warmth nourish the Great Dragons.”

“I see,” Russell said.

“The development of a territory must be gradual. If a year of disaster strikes and the territory is badly affected, hindering the growth of the Shadowflame Dragon, Red Castle won’t show leniency,” Roland added.

“Volcanic Oasis has been recuperating for twenty years; the population has increased a lot. Red Castle should relax some restrictions and allow serf trade, right?”

“Don’t know,” Roland shrugged, then whispered, “This time I plan to feel out Grandfather’s stance with Father. Before the Council of Elders disbands, they will definitely make some arrangements for these specific affairs.”

After a pause, he shook his head, “During these ten years of Grandfather’s governance, he’s been too strict on serf trade. Even when our family wanted to apply for a permit, Grandfather denied it repeatedly… The little bit of smuggling we do, how can it compare to population!”

During Count Merlin’s term, they strictly controlled the serf trade to allow Volcanic Oasis to recuperate.

But they turned a blind eye to smuggling and similar matters.

Russell thought for a moment and said, “Grandfather’s actions could be seen as focusing on the major issues while ignoring the minor ones. Overall, it’s still in line with Red Castle’s interests.”

“Of course, it’s in line,” Roland confirmed, even though he complained about Count Merlin’s strict control of the serf trade, his tone still carried pride for Count Merlin, “Otherwise, would Princess Anxia have sent off Grandfather with such grandeur? Keep in mind, there have been rumors between her and Grandfather!”

Ancestor who furthers the family’s welfare is naturally endearing,

But an ancestor who takes charge of the nation’s affairs is equally worthy of respect.

“Indeed,” Russell too, reflected, “The Council of Elders has been established for twenty years, and in the last ten years under Grandfather’s governance, it is clear that he has made significant contributions to Shadowflame Grand Duchy, to Red Castle.”

As for the specifics of the political situation, the two brothers actually knew very little.

But that didn’t prevent them from making broad statements.

“Now that Kunstan has ascended to the throne, it is sure to be a good beginning. I will also sincerely assist Grand Duke Kunstan, and help bring greatness to Shadowflame Grand Duchy once again!” Roland said enthusiastically, pounding his chest in his excitement.

This posture, for a moment, made Russell overlay his image with that of his Earthly home—MAGA!

…

The mountain roads were not silent and deserted but, on the contrary, every certain distance there was a small estate market.

The caravan would stop at these small markets to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.

By the afternoon, the caravan had successfully traversed the mountainous region and arrived at the boundless Estuary Plains, where one could see the sparkling Clearwater River and the Turbid River in the distance, reflecting the sunlight like a jade belt.

Once they entered the plains, they could gallop freely.

Eventually, before the darkness set in, they successfully reached the majestic castle located on a low hill by the great river—Bluebird Castle.

Fluorescent Castle, including its outer walls, covered an area of over a hundred acres, which was already very large, but when compared to Bluebird Castle, it seemed like a minor wizard before a great one. The main body of this castle, in shades of gray and yellow, covered at least five hundred acres.

The castle was built following the undulations of the low hill, with lower surrounding areas and a towering center.

Rings upon rings of outer walls, three layers within and three layers without, protected the pointed tower atop the hill, like a mountain peak. Each city wall was dotted with many arrow towers, constructed from huge blocks of stone, solid and enduring.

“There are dragons!” Lola poked her head out of the carriage window, pointing to the spires of Bluebird Castle.

Atop them, two bipedal flying dragons, each perched on an arrow tower, overlooked the entire Estuary Plains.

One of the dragons was pitch black, clearly Merlin Rain-Longflower’s contracted partner, the Manganese Steel Dragon Mercedes; while the other, with a body of pale blue as if carved from crystal, was the Blue Crystal Dragon Medica Loren.

The Rainflower Family had two dragons!

Boom, boom, boom!

The sound of horse hooves shattered the nighttime calm as a group of knights galloped from Bluebird Castle, halting neatly in front of the caravan.

The young and handsome knight at the forefront approached, saying loudly, “Uncle, Aunt, Mel is here to welcome you.”

Baron Roman, riding a Nightmare Specter Horse, stepped forward, “Your aunt is in the carriage.”

Lady Meryl had already let the servants pull back the curtains of the carriage and looked at her handsome nephew with a brilliant smile, “Mel, come closer, let your aunt have a good look at you. It’s been over a year since I last saw you, and you’ve become even more mature!”

“Aunt,” Mel rode up to the side of the carriage, “You are still as young and beautiful as before.”

“Ultimately, I’m still getting old, after all the children are grown,” Lady Meryl reflected.

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“Cousin Mel!” Lola also popped her head out, smiling and greeting.

“Haha, Lola, long time no see. You’ve gotten even more… cute!” Mel barely found the proper words of praise.

Roland and Russell had also come closer, each greeting Mel Rainflower in turn.

After the brief greetings, Mel returned to the group of knights and said loudly, “Uncle, Aunt, grandfather, father, and mother are all waiting for you in the castle, let’s go inside first, and then we can have a good reunion later.”

There was still a distance from the foot of the hill to the castle.

They walked for a full quarter of an hour.

Finally, they arrived at the gates of Bluebird Castle, where by now, brilliant lights had been lit, illuminating the entrance as if it were daylight.

The servants of the castle were lined up on both sides, waiting to welcome the arrival of Baron Roman and his party.

On the left, a slightly less numerous row was made up of nobles, on the right, a longer row of servants, with an elderly noble and a middle-aged noble couple standing in the center.

Once the carriage stopped, Baron Roman immediately helped Lady Meryl out of the carriage and then hurriedly walked forward.

“Father-in-law, Sir!”

“Father!”

The Baron and his wife both called out to the elderly noble standing at the center of the gate.

This elderly noble had only a few gray hairs, the rest still black and glossy, and his face had few wrinkles. Even though he was no longer young, one could still feel his handsome and charming demeanor.

He was none other than the former Chief Executive of the Council of Elders, the lord of the Tributary River Mouth earldom, a Fourth-layer Phantom Beast Knight, and also a famously distinguished Flying Dragon Knight from the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, one of the most outstanding figures, Count Flo Pot Merlin Rain-Longflower.